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The Volunteer

The Newsletter for all Ashdown Forest Volunteers Issue 15 – March/April/May Christmas – how was it for you...?

Well, the much publicised snow for October failed to arrive and November 2011 was one of the warmest on record! The autumn was truly a ‘season IN THIS ISSUE: of mists and mellow fruitfulness’ with bumper crops of fruit and fungi (but of course NOT on fungi day!) It was the end of December when we had

 Introduction our first really cold weather and snow fall – but that only lasted a couple of days. As I am typing this introduction the weather has been blowing an  Update on grazing absolute gale for two days – and as you can imagine the team has been

 Exhibitions busy though not as busy as we feared – which shows that the hard work and attention the team have shown to roadside and potentially dangerous  Forest history trees has really paid off.

 Volunteer recruitment

 Centre Development

 SPACE

 Return of the Waglog

 Conservation Group

 Management

 Staff doings!

 Visitor numbers 

Fallen tree across the A22 – Thursday 5th January Before we knew it the Christmas Party was upon us – and our sincerest thanks go to Janet Wirdnam and Anne Smith for their fantastic help. Thanks also go to Mike Payne for helping with the decorations, Rich Allum for being the best barman and quiz master ever, Chris Sutton for keeping the mulled wine flowing and to the team from Crawley Probation Services who put out all the tables and chairs. A big thank you also goes to Caroline FitzGerald for organising and delivering the really delicious meat! You may be wondering what is happening with the post of ‘Director’. The advert, job description and person specification were posted on our website at the beginning of January with interviews planned for mid to late February. Hopefully a new person will be in post at some point in April. As soon as we are able we will let you know. Though knowing the ‘jungle drums’ around here you will be telling me! Chris Marrable has done a really wonderful job over the last few months and has been a fabulous leader but I am sure he will be delighted to get back to his conservation role full time – thank you Chris! PS: I spoke too soon its snowing again now and is minus 4 !!

Update on Grazing… The Hebridean sheep were grazing on the Forest within electric fences right up until the first frosts. Several areas were successfully grazed this summer such as Wrens Warren; Jumpers Town and near Cats Protection in Chelwood Gate. Although there were some incidents with dogs chasing the sheep there were no serious injuries other than the one well publicized incident. We received a great deal of public support regarding responsible dog ownership. The story was picked up by the media – with the issue being discussed during a ‘phone‐in’ on Uckfield FM.

The wethers (castrated male sheep) went to slaughter in late autumn and the meat was given as a ‘thank you’ to people who had helped the grazing project. Hogget played a staring role in the Christmas Party this year. Ros created a wonderful rich and fruity Moroccan Lamb Tagine – recipe on application!

A simple method to get the best meaty flavour out of hogget…

Preheat the oven to 170C/gas 3.

Grate the onions (or if you can’t cope with the tears, finely slice!) and place them in a tray or casserole dish large enough to hold the shoulder. Put the bay leaves and star anise on top of the onions and place the shoulder of hogget on top of them. Pour over the water.

Slow‐braised hogget Cover with foil and put the meat into the oven and cook for about three hours or 2 kg shoulder of hogget until the meat is beginning to fall from the bone. Uncover for the last hour just to 1.5 kg onions, grated brown and crisp up a little. Taste for seasoning and allow the meat to rest before 4 bay leaves carving. 1 star anise 150 ml water Serve with sliced potatoes cooked in lamb stock and buttered baby kale. Yum!

Forthcoming Exhibitions… We have a full and very varied programme of Oliver Pyle – an inspirational amateur painter and exhibitions over the next 12 months. Check the website landscape photographer based in Sussex. for dates and titles. Below will give you an indication of www.lightlandscape.blogspot.com/2011_09_01_a what to expect: rchive.html

John Lanteri‐Laura – this will be a very different, East Grinstead Camera Club – competition challenging exhibition using large scale winners exhibition. photographs and Victorian techniques. www.egcc.org.uk/club/Home.html www.photographicpractices.com Helen Hockin – dark and mysterious artworks, light boxes and sculpture based on natural materials, pigments and forms. http://helenhockin.blogspot.com/p/sticks‐stones‐ Julia Rowlands – Julia produces vibrant and and‐bones.html colourful landscapes and townscapes and she will be exhibiting with us for the first time in June. www.wix.com/juliadr3/juliarowlands

Hidden Talents – a return visit from Wealden Sheltered Housing art group.

Mervyn Hathaway – Mervyn’s beautiful dreamlike Helen Bardsley and friends – an exhibition by landscapes will contain some surprises! local rider, mounted ranger and AFRA committee www.mhathaway.co.uk member. The Volunteer ‐ Page 2

Forest History – Richard Jefferies, 6 Nov 1848 – 14 Aug 1887…

John Richard Jefferies (6 November Farm, the couple moved to a Eventually he was persuaded ‐ he 1848 – 14 August 1887) was an house in Swindon and in 1875 and was granted £100. The family English nature writer, noted for his their first child, Richard Harold used the funds to move to depiction of English rural life in Jefferies, was born. The family Goring‐on‐Sea but it was to no essays, books of natural history, and moved to Surbition, then at the avail –on 14 August 1887, he novels. His childhood on a small farm limits of London's growth, and died of tuberculosis and near Swindon had a great influence Jefferies spent much time exhaustion. He is buried in and provides the background to all wandering through the nearby Broadwater Cemetery in his major works of fiction. countryside; these walks would Worthing. later provide the material for his He was born at Coate in Wiltshire, book ‘Nature Near London’ (1883). After his death, a number of the son of a farmer. He spent many The Surbition yeas defined posthumous collections were of his formative years with relatives Jefferies as a country writer and made of his writings previously in Sydenham with holidays at Coate his articles on country life found published in newspapers and where he learned to shoot and hunt. favour in urban publications such magazines, beginning with ‘Field The gun he habitually carried as a as the Pall Mall Gazette. There and Hedgerow’ (1889), edited by young teenager drew the worst followed books such as ‘The Game his widow. New collections have suspicions of local landowners. Keeper at Home’, ‘Life in the appeared over the century

Southern Counties’, the ‘Amateur following his birth, but even now In 1864, at the age of sixteen, he and Poacher’ and ‘Round About the not all have been reprinted in a cousin ran off to France, intending Great Estate’ all written between book form. to walk to Russia. After crossing the 1879 and 1881. channel, they soon found that their schoolboy French was insufficient By 1881 his heath was failing but and returned to England. Before they his imagination was as strong as reached Swindon, they noticed an ever and novels appeared such as advertisement for cheap crossings ‘After London’ (1885), an early from Liverpool to America and set off example of "post‐apocalyptic in this new direction. The tickets fiction": after some sudden and however, did not include the cost of unspecified catastrophe has food; and the boys were forced to depopulated England, the return to home after an attempt to countryside reverts to nature, and pawn their watches had drawn the the few survivors to a quasi‐ attention of the police. medieval way of life. It is said that

the book served as an inspiration “That is the saddest of thoughts In 1866 Jefferies began work as a for William Morris's utopian ‘News —as we grow older the romance jobbing journalist in Swindon, the from Nowhere’ (1890). fades, and all things become editor of the paper; William Morris commonplace. Half our lives are encouraged him to develop his The family moved briefly to spent in wishing for to‐morrow, writing. By 1867 the first signs of Eltham and then on to Rotherfield, the other half in wishing for tuberculosis, the disease that would eventually settling at a house on yesterday. Wild‐flowers alone eventually kill him, were appearing. Crowborough Hill where he never become com‐monplace. completed his most ambitious and The white wood‐sorrel at the foot unusual novel, ‘Amaryllis at the of the oak, the violet in the hedge Fair’ (1887). Closely based on his of the vale, the thyme on the own family at Coate, it describes a wind‐swept downs, they were as farm and family imperceptibly fresh this year as last, as dear to‐ approaching disaster. There is day as twenty years since, even little narrative development; dearer, for they grow now, as it instead significant or typical were, in the earth we have made moments are presented in short for them of our hopes, our scenes and tableaux. prayers, our emotions, our thoughts” from 'Amaryllis at the Illness and reduced productivity Fair’ written whilst at In 1874, the year of his first led to a loss of income and Crowborough in 1887. published novel, ‘The Scarlet Shawl’, Jefferies was encouraged by his editor to apply to the Royal he married Jessie Baden the The Volunteer ‐ Page 3 daughter of a Wiltshire farmer. After Literary Fund. He hated the idea living for a few months at Coate of patronage and resisted. Volunteer Recruitment… Forest Centre Development… Training has finished for our Mounted No real news for you at the moment but a great deal is Volunteer Rangers; Claudia Christopher; Sue going on behind the scenes. The FC Development

Wheeler; Sue Field; Sue Culling: Rebecca Working Party continues to meet to discuss the Johns; Amy Parcell; Sarah Grue; Lisa Gorrie; planning application, the fund raising strategy and the Rebecca Tapsell; Pauline Povey; Helen business plan. There are also ongoing discussions Bardsley and Jennifer Alford. All are out‐and‐ about improving and widening the scope of education about patrolling the Forest on an almost daily at the Centre and how this could be implemented in basis along with Deborah Waygood and Beth the future. An independent ecologist was Beardshaw. They all wear yellow hi‐vis jackets commissioned to perform an appropriate assessment with their title emblazoned on the back, and (which looks at how the development will impact on the horses have yellow badges – so they are the SSSI) and we, and the planners, await the results. easily seen by other riders and staff. Please say hello if you meet them on the Forest. Proposed Forest Centre Events - 2012

This year we are hoping to hold a series of child and family friendly events at the Forest Centre. They will be as cost effective as possible (i.e. cheap to organize and run!) as we don’t have a budget for this kind of thing and external funding is probably not an option. However, some events will be lead by our friends Lisa and Rachel (the Sussex Wildlife Teachers), Pamela Hurwitz (artist) and Lyn Merrick (Gatekeeper Guides) for a nominal charge. So far we have come up with:

A children’s natural art day (led by Pamela); a child focused bush craft event (possibly an adult one if we can find a leader); a family / adult ‘dawn chorus’ walk (possibly with tea and a bacon butty afterwards; a family / adult focused ‘twilight chorus’ walk; a family focused nightjar walk (the Friends have adult walks); a series of family focused nature / bird walks (perhaps with some activities at the Centre); a late spring sheep event (with lambs on site) and a camp building day. We also thought that the creation of a bracken maze would be fun along with a simple treasure hunt or nature trail. We hope that many of you will help me in organizing, arranging or leading an event (the more the merrier) – please say yes as I can’t do it alone!

We also hope that our friends at ESAMP will want to hold their history/Mesolithic day with us again and that East Sussex Libraries will help us out with some story telling sessions. SWT will be holding a mini‐beast Information Barn… The AV unit is back but in a new location! ‘Tit‐Cam’ will be linked to, and run via the AV unit, giving clearer pictures of the nest box.

Excitingly there will be a new film added to the AV featuring ‘The Archaeology of Ashdown Forest’. (Ashdown Forest Life with have a two page ‘making of’ feature in the spring). A new set of operating instructions will be posted in the barn as there will be a couple of small differences. The new film will be accompanied by four new walks leaflets guiding visitors to and around some sites of archaeological interest – these are being devised by archaeologists Dr Chris Butler and Viv Sandford (a set is enclosed!)

You may recall that three leaflets were not re‐designed and printed at the last tranche. I am pleased to say that Hindleap, A Walk Amongst Friends and Beyond the Pale are all having a ‘make‐over’ and will be re‐ published very soon.

Newly designed information panels are now going out on the Forest. The first was at Gills Lap and is a memorial panel (with the dedication being quite discretely placed) and was followed by Broadstone, Millbrook and Kings Standing. More will follow if funding is available. The new design is very different from previous panels and is (in our opinion) light, fresh, easy to read and very attractive. Leaflets, panels, Ashdown Forest Life and the website are all being pulled into the same clean, fresh ‘house style’ – we hope you like it and feedback would be welcome. The Volunteer ‐ Page 4

The Wag Log – I’m your man!…

Dear Sir / Madam,

I have learned that you are currently recruiting for the position of Top Dog (a.k.a. Forest Director). Please will you consider my application?

Name: Scallywag Allum Age: 40 (estimated) Current Position: Forest Ranger Present Salary: House with comfy bed by radiator, truck, ample ‘Naturediet’ & limitless treats

I am a bit of a rags to Rich’s story(!). Sadly I was orphaned as a pup and became an urchin in Rochdale. I was picked up off the streets but managed to find a “If only my master was human to rescue at Raystede Animal Welfare Centre. I became a Forest Ranger as smart and as in 2005 (aged about 6). I have over 30 (dog) years’ experience on Ashdown handsome as me!” Forest, having been West Chase Ranger and now South Chase Ranger, so I know

my way around the Forest!

I have a proven track record at managing humans (if I can manage him, I can manage anyone!). Currently I manage all the Forest dogs, their staff and volunteers. I am expert in both human and canine behaviour. I also have

experience at managing livestock (especially Hebridean sheep); I am good with cows and horses too. I am also very familiar with the Forest’s Fallow deer population! I am intimately acquainted with most of the Forest’s pond life (literally and metaphorically)! Last year I attended a University of Sussex course on the history of Ashdown Forest so my knowledge of Forest past and present is excellent.

As you may know, I have done quite a bit of media work (including countless TV appearances) and I am currently featured in Sussex Living magazine (February edition). In my spare time I enjoy walking, playing, eating, sleeping and watching wildlife documentaries.

I look forward to hearing from you. Grazing apprenticeship …

The Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded a grant under its Skills for the Future Programme to the Grazing Advice Partnership to set up and run a nationwide programme of traineeships. The aim is to offer trainees a mix of ‘on‐the‐ job’ work experience and instruction in the practical skills associated with livestock handling and conservation training. Trainees will receive a bursary, mentoring support and access to GAP training courses. Ten locations were identified across the UK and Ashdown Forest has been selected as a suitable host for the scheme! Caroline will be sharing the apprentice with Townings Farm (a rare breeds farm with cattle, pigs and Hebridean sheep) and the Sussex Pony Grazing and Conservation Trust (semi‐feral Exmoor ponies). There was a great deal of interest in the apprenticeship and interviews are taking place in early February with a view to the apprentice taking up their role in April. To find out more about the scheme visit http://www.grazingadvicepartnership.org.uk/gap_traineeships.html

The Volunteer ‐ Page 5 Conservation Group …

We have met just three times under the new regime. On the first task, we had a go at the invasive cherry scrub growing in Chelwood Gate. It was a warm day with a big hot fire which made it a bit uncomfortable but we certainly made a big impression on this problem weed. On the second event, we cleared birch scrub from a small area of heathland behind Warren car park – a miserable, drizzly day but a sensible sized project of which we completed about 80%. We will go back and finish it off one day soon. At the end of November, we collected Christmas trees from near Churlwood car park. The total sales of trees over the following three

weeks raised not far off £2000, so it was a well worthwhile job. American Cherry Over the next few months it would be nice to finish off the Warren site, The new enemy do a bit of hazel coppicing in Cackle Street, perhaps clear some of the

Forest centre pond and coppice some of the specimen trees there and attack some scrub around the Broadstone quarry. Or any other exciting job that might come to mind..... Chris Marrable Conservation and Management News… The team has spent a few weeks out behind Churlwood car park doing scrub clearance. There will also be scrub clearance alongside the Airstrip, one of the Vachery drives, behind Hindleap car park and the Isle of Thorns boundary. There was a small fire near the Isle of Thorns caused by a contractor’s bonfire – it was quickly extinguished with the help of Fire & Rescue and no serious damage was done.

Mike P has had small volunteer groups from Sackville school, HSBC and now Young People with Epilepsy dealing with the growing problem of American Black Cherry. Probationers on ‘Community Payback’ have worked all through the winter and have done a multitude of jobs on the Forest. The team will be hosting a restorative justice session with a young male from Crowborough who after doing several damaging ‘doughnuts’ in one of the car‐parks was tracked down by the Police. He will be doing some heavy hands on labour with the team.

There have been continued problems with dog control and there were three incidents in two weeks. One of these, very sadly, ended up with a dog being killed on the A22.

Mike P and Chris M are looking at continuing the programme of maintenance at the Vachery (with the unconfirmed possibility of pond dredging on the smaller cascade ponds). We will keep you posted on developments.

Winter was ‘estover’ time and it proved to be a very busy one. There were 147 applications (up on last year), several were not granted and some new applicants were turned away (as they were non‐commoners and not at all local to the Forest). Many more called up who were keen to get on the list for next year! Boundary walking by the Rangers has been on‐going through the winter as and when time has allowed. This will be

Bird Feeder… You will notice a bird feeding station has appeared at the back of the Forest Centre visible from the down stairs exhibition space. The pole was created on a wet afternoon by Chris M and the feeders are all bargains from a well known on‐line source! Bulk supplies of feed will be stored in the boiler room in rat proof bins. Once the station is established Tracy will all be taking responsibility for keeping the feeders filled up. It would also be helpful to keep the bird bath filled with clean water. We would like to increase the bird feeding station and any clean nut and seed feeders or feeding stations poles / hangers would be much appreciated. In due course we hope to get a web cam so we can show the action on our website!

The Volunteer ‐ Page 6

EXHIBITION REVIEWS

Nature Stripped Bare… This interesting exhibition of natural artworks finally closed to the public on 31 December 2011 after a successful run. Visitors, particularly children, were inspired to go out, hunt for natural objects and have a go themselves. A big thank you to all three artists for exhibiting with us and for sharing their space with the woodturners! Also thank you to Pamela for agreeing to hold a couple of children’s art sessions.

Ashdown Forest Woodturners… The Ashdown Forest Woodturners made, yet another, very welcome visit to the Centre. Their range of hand made wooden gifts always proves popular with visitors – and this year was no exception. Many visitors specifically ask if the woodturners are exhibiting so they can make a special trip and I am happy to say they will be back again at the end of 2012.

James Barrett… The exhibition has been very well received by the public and there have been many really positive and complimentary comments. We hope James will exhibit with us again in the future! www.jamesbarrettphotography.co.uk

Fungi Day ESAMP Family Day The dry weather almost proved the undoing of Fungi We have had a couple of visits now from our Day this year! There was so little about even friends at East Sussex Archaeology and Museums seasoned fungi hunters had nothing to show for Partnership. The Family Day took place on 27th hours of poking around in the woods. Thankfully October at the Forest Centre and was well our visitors were a little more successful – but there attended by the public. ESAMP were

was very little on the table compared to previous demonstrating aspects of everyday life in the years. Thankfully artist, Lynn Merrick (of Gatekeeper Mesolithic period (8,000 years ago) through hands‐ Guide fame), was on hand to help our younger on activities such as flint‐knapping, archery, making visitors make and paint clay sculptures and several string from nearby plants and learning about wild were proudly carried home by their creators! plant foods.

ESAMP also regularly use our site as a base for their training sessions with young people. They teach a

Hopefully Lynn will come back on fungi day next variety of skills – flint‐knapping, fire making, string year as well as doing some days for us in the school making, coppicing, hurdle making and, of course, summer holidays. hut making. The Volunteer ‐ Page 7 Volunteer Litter Picking… The team very urgently need extra hands to assist with road‐side litter picking. We are looking for ½ or full days and will be targeting specific ‘black‐spots’ – a Forest vehicle, litter pickers, hi‐vis will be supplied. For safety reasons you would need to pick in pairs – if you are able to help out please contact Rich or Chris Sutton directly on [email protected] and/or [email protected] – thank you in anticipation. The Conservators of Big fat zero… Ashdown Forest Exactly the number of visitors welcomed to the Centre on 6th September. However we did have torrential sideways rain, storm force The Ashdown Forest Centre winds and ESCC highways digging up the road! A big thank you to Andy Wych Cross for sticking with it and spending time sorting out the stockroom! Forest Row New courses with Sussex University … East Sussex There are two new courses taking place at the Forest Centre. ‘Pre‐ History of Ashdown Forest and High Weald’ with Dr R Canter and RH18 5JP ‘Researching the History of Ashdown Forest’ with Prof. Brian Short.

PHONE: Missing Post… Apologies to anyone who didn’t get the last newsletter – it seems that a 01342 823583 batch of mail went missing in the post. Board papers have also gone 01342 822846 astray and we can only assume our post box isn’t being emptied as regularly as it should be. FAX: Information Volunteers… 01342 824177 We are still having trouble filling slots on the board please pop in and put your name down in a gap – it was great to be able to keep the Centre open for visitors right through to the end of October. If anyone E‐MAIL: is free and available to help with recruitment or suggest how we can [email protected] best go about it do let me know. [email protected] [email protected] Ashdown Forest App… An app is a mini‐website created for users of ‘smart’ phones. We now We’re on the Web! have an app that can be downloaded free from the I‐tunes store which has ten of our walks enabled. Thanks to our partners, listed below, for See us at: their support with this project. www.ashdownforest.org and on social networking at

Twitter (894 followers) Facebook (131) And finally… LinkedIn Snowmen have appeared across the Forest recently. It makes a change to see a snow bunny (or is it a hare). The snap was posted by a Facebook friend but they didn’t say if it was on the Forest. On a more traditional note, a classic snowman from our friends at Ashdown Park Hotel – it’s apparently been named Gavin!

The Volunteer ‐ Page 8